Radio România Internațional

Tag: extreme weather

July 9, 2024

NATO. The NATO summit that begins today in Washington is expected to be dominated by the war in Ukraine and Russia’s threats, especially after the recent massive Russian attack on several Ukrainian cities, resulting in dozens of deaths. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is expected to participate in the summit, has called on the allies to respond more firmly to Russia’s attacks by strengthening his country’s air defense. For his part, US President Joe Biden said that the North Atlantic Alliance will announce new measures to help Ukraine protect its cities and civilians. Romania, represented by President Klaus Iohannis, will reaffirm its firm support for Ukraine, including with regard to NATO accession. Also, the Romanian President will plead for the continuation of support for the Alliance’s vulnerable partners, the Republic of Moldova in particular, and for increasing their capacity to respond to hybrid threats. The summit agenda will include three meetings at the highest level of the North Atlantic Council, including in formats with Ukraine, the European Union and NATO partners in the Indian – Pacific area, as well as an anniversary event on the occasion of NATO’s 75th anniversary.

TAROM. All internal and external flights of the Romanian airline TAROM were carried out, this morning, according to schedules, after, the day before, several flights had been cancelled, 30 of the company’s 150 pilots declaring themselves unfit for medical reasons. According to the Union of Air Line Pilots, it was, in fact, a protest related to the working and salary conditions, as well as the bad management of the company. Losses of 2.5 million euros were recorded. In the meantime, the management of TAROM and the representatives of the seafaring staff have reached an agreement regarding salaries. TAROM also apologized to its passengers for the inconvenience caused and gave assurances that it is making every effort to reduce the impact this situation had on their travel plans.

Mourning. The Ukrainian Ambassador to Bucharest, Ihor Prokopciuk, participated, on Monday, in a spontaneous action of mourning for the victims of Monday’s Russian attacks on the cities of the neighboring country, including on a children’s hospital in Kyiv. According to the diplomatic mission in Bucharest, the event was attended by Ukrainian diplomats, Ukrainian citizens who found shelter in Romania and Romanians. Ambassador Prokopciuk has strongly condemned Russian terrorism and stated that despite its brutal attacks, Russia will not succeed in defeating the Ukrainian nation, which will continue to fight for its independence and territorial integrity.

Commissioner. The European Commissioner for Transport, the Romanian Adina Vălean, is presenting today her 5-year activity report, focusing on topics such as sustainable and intelligent transport, reducing emissions, connected and automated mobility, accessibility and passenger rights, fair internal market, transport safety, international cooperation and dual mobility. The report also includes the achievements and challenges encountered and offers a perspective on the future of the transport sector in Europe. The event is hosted by the headquarters of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest.

Education. The Romanian Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, has announced that the pass rate in the first session of this year’s Baccalaureate exam is 76.4%, an increase of 3.6% compared to last year. According to the minister, it is the best result in the last 10 years. Ligia Deca presented, in a press conference, the results by sector. Thus, for the theoretical stream the pass rate was 91%, for the technological stream 63%, and for the vocational stream 77%. Education experts say, however, that the figures must be seen in the context in which only 79% of the graduates sat for the Baccalaureate exam.

Weather. The National Meteorological Administration has issued new warnings for excessive heat and severe thermal discomfort, in place on July 9 and 10, throughout Romania. A Code Yellow warning for extremely hot weather has been issued today for the north, west, southwest, south, southeast and most of the east and center of the country. The maximum temperatures are range between 33 and 37 degrees Celsius and, locally, temperatures have gone up to 39 degrees. The southern regions will continue to be affected by extreme heat and high thermal discomfort, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. The noon reading in Bucharest was 35 degrees. At night, the minimums will not drop below 20 degrees Celsius, which is characteristic of tropical weather. During the day of Wednesday, July 10, the heatwave will intensify, and an amber warning will be in place in the west, southwest and south, including Bucharest. Meteorologists say that the wave of excessive heat will persist throughout Romania in the following days of the week. (MI)

9 July 2024
May 29, 2022

WAR IN
UKRAINE – The
leaders of France and Germany have called on Russian president Vladimir Putin
to immediately start negotiations with Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky,
in order to find a diplomatic resolution to the conflict. The solution to stop
the war can only be found by means of direct negotiations between Moscow and
Kyiv, with the observance of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,
French president Emmanuel Macron said. In turn, German chancellor Olaf Scholz
has called on Putin to agree to a total ceasefire and withdraw all his forces
from Ukraine. The two leaders also called for an improvement in the situation
of the civilian population in Russian-held territories and for the release of
the 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers taken prisoner at the Azovstal steelworks in
Mariupol. Macron and Scholz also called on Putin to lift the blockade on Odessa
and allow the export of Ukrainian cereals and thus avert a global food crisis.
In response, the Kremlin said Russia is willing to help find options to resume
the free export of grains, including from Ukraine. Without openly agreeing to
it, Putin is willing to allow Ukraine to export its grains only if EU countries
lift sanctions on Russian agricultural exports. Putin says difficulties on the
global market are allegedly determined by the West’s poor decision-making and
the sanctions imposed on Russia. As regards a ceasefire, the Kremlin argues
Russia is willing to resume dialogue with Ukraine. Right now peace negotiations are suspended,
while the Russian forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities.

NATO – Iulian Fota, Secretary of
State for Strategic Affairs with the Romanian Foreign Ministry, has talked to
US Senator Robert Portman about the US’s decision to increase its military
presence on Romanian territory. He expressed Romania’s commitment, alongside
other European partners, to consolidate the resilience of the Republic of
Moldova by means of concrete measures and countering the effects of the Russian
aggression in Ukraine. Talks with Senator Portman also focused on the security
developments in the region, generated by the Russian Federation’s illegal
military operations in Ukraine and its consequences on European and
Euro-Atlantic security. The two officials also tackled the priorities of the
NATO Summit of June 2022 in Madrid, with a focus on adopting decisions that
should reassert NATO’s main role, namely ensuring collecting defense and
consolidating trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian MFA also writes.

ROMANIANS
WORLDWIDE – President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă conveyed
messages marking the Day of Romanians Worldwide, celebrated on the last Sunday
of May. Irrespective of where we are, today is a good opportunity to reflect
on everything that bounds us together and to Romania – a strong identity and
being part of a people that has over the centuries overcome great hardships,
the President said in his message. The relocation of certain companies in
Romania, against a very difficult backdrop, might represent an opportunity
encouraging Romanians to return home, president Iohannis went on to say,
recalling the importance of the Government’s actions to support, by means of
dedicated programs, Romanians who wish to return home. There are millions of
Romanians living abroad. Romanians are at the center of the Government’s
concerns, irrespective of where they are, the Prime Minister also said.
Nicolae Ciucă also said that the Department of Romanians Worldwide is helping
strengthen ties with communities of Romanians and support them in order to
preserve national identity, through education and cultural projects conducted
across ministries and in partnership with civilian society and academia. We
also want Romanians who seek employment abroad to be respected and their rights
should be observed. I am confident that memorandum signed at the level of the
line ministries in Romania and Italy will be followed by similar initiatives
with other EU states and beyond, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said.

CANNES – The Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund has won his second Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, this time for a satire criticizing the rich, entitled The Triangle of Sadness. The Grand Prix went to Close by Lukas Dhont and Stars at Noon by Claire Denis. Park Chan-Wook of South Korea won the best director award for his feature Decision to Leave. The jury award went to Eo and Le Otto Montagne, while War Pony won the award for best debut film. Alexandru Belc won the best directing award in the Un Certain Regard section with his film, Metronome.

ROLAND
GARROS – Romanian tennis player Irina Begu has advanced to the round of 16
at Roland Garros after ousting Leolia Jeanjean of France, 6-1, 6-4. Begu thus
matched her best performance at Roland Garros, after in 2016 she also reached
this stage of the women’s singles. This is Begu’s best performance in Grand
Slam tournaments, her first being to reach the round of 16 at Australian Open
in 2015.

ROWING -
Romanian athlete Cătălin Chirilă
won silver in the 500m and 1000m single canoe races held on Sunday at the World
Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. In the 500m race, Chirilă was outrun by Martin Fuksa of the Czech Republic, two-time world champion
and several-time European champion. The bronze went to Wiktor Glazunow of
Poland. In the 1000m race, Fuksa won again the gold, while Pavlo Altuhov of
Ukraine won bronze.

WEATHER
– The National Meteorological Administration has extended the code orange alert
against heavy rain and storms in place in 12 counties in Bucharest, until
Monday morning. Hydrologists have also warned against the risk of floods. The
heavy rain and storms have disrupted road traffic in cities and on national
roads, and caused material damages. In Bucharest, dozens of trees were uprooted
by the strong wind and a few electricity poles fell. Three homes were flooded
and 30 cars were damaged. (VP)

29 May 2022
June 16, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 – The
government in Bucharest extended by another 30 days the state of alert, at the
same time easing some lockdown restrictions. Church services will resume inside
the churches with the observance of physical distancing and the mandatory
wearing of masks. Certain border crossing points will also reopen. Liberal
Prime Minister Ludovic Orban has explained that most experts believe the state
of alert is necessary given the present epidemiological context. The
government’s decision must be approved by Parliament and the largest opposition
force, the Social-Democratic Party, have announced their intention not to
endorse an extension longer than 15 days. The Social-Democrats also believe the
relaxation measures proposed by the government are not enough. Romania has so
far reported 22,415 infections and a number of fatalities that has gone up to
1,437. Over 16 thousand patients have been cured. 34 hundred Romanians have
been confirmed infected abroad and 114 of them died.

FESTIVAL – The first weekend of the International Theatre
Festival in Sibiu, central Romania, which has this year been staged exclusively
online due to the COVID pandemic has registered an impressive audience. The
festival’s shows and other events posted on its Facebook or webpage at
sibfest.ro have registered roughly 181 thousand visitors. The event continues
until June 21 with prestigious dance, music, opera and street performances,
circus and special conferences, all broadcast online. The festival’s present
edition unfolds under the motto ‘The Power to Believe’. The International
Theatre Festival in Sibiu is the first big performing arts festival in Central
and Eastern Europe.

WEATHER – Romania is still facing extreme weather phenomena
in most of its territory, where meteorologists are expecting heavy downpours
and thunderstorms for the entire week. Scores of towns and villages have been
affected by the weather in 20 Romanian counties. Firefighters have been
deployed to pump water out of hundreds of households and public institutions or
to remove the fallen trees from the streets. Traffic has been temporarily
disrupted on national and county roads.

NATO – The Romanian Navy has handed over the command of
Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group Two, a press release issued by the
Navy Chief of Staff on Tuesday announced. By assuming the command of the
aforementioned military force, Romania proved its capabilities as a security
provider for the defence of the allies as this navy force has made a major
contribution to maintaining the alliance’s battle and immediate response
capabilities in crisis situations as well as to the promotion of NATO’s images
and values. In the past six months, the group has carried out missions in the
Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea involving the participation of
military vessels from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Romania and Turkey.

FORESTS – The Senate on Tuesday passed the law on creating the
Directorate for Investigating Environment-related Crimes. The scope of
environment-related crime demands the specialization of prosecuting bodies in
this field and the allocation of resources for the creation of an institution
with specific and clear competences, the initiators of the draft law explain,
saying that in the last 5 years over 20 million cubic meters of forests have
disappeared illegally, causing a prejudice of hundreds of millions of Euro
every year. All Parliamentary groups have voted in favor of the project, with
the exception of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians.

BORDER – According to the Romanian authorities, 65,200
Romanian and foreign nationals transited Romania’s border checkpoints on
Monday. The traffic has increased by 60% as compared to the month of May.
Romania’s border with Hungary proved to be the busiest, as it has been crossed
by roughly 43,800 people. According to the same sources, the number of people
who entered Romania has doubled as compared to the previous state-of-alert
period.

(Translated
by D. Bilt & V. Palcu)

16 June 2020
June 29, 2019 UPDATE

PSD Congress — The Social Democratic Party in Romania, in the ruling coalition, on Saturday elected its leadership at an extraordinary congress. The PM Viorica Dancila was elected president of the party thus replacing the former party strongman Liviu Dragnea who was sentenced and imprisoned for corruption. The finance minister Eugen Teodorovici was confirmed as executive president and Mihai Fifor, a former defense minister was elected secretary general.

Brussels — The president of the European Council Donald Tusk on Saturday conveyed a message, on Twitter, to the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis at the end of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. “You managed to have 90 pieces of legislation agreed in less than 100 days, that is impressive” Donald Tusk also wrote on Twitter. Romania’s presidency of the Council of the EU comes to an end on June 30. Romania’s presidency was marked by key moments such as the Sibiu summit held on Europe Day on May 9 and the EP elections of May 23 to 26.

Festival — Sibiu (in central Romania) is the venue for the European Film Festival which brings 7 new films as well as a 1990s classic. Until Sunday when the festival ends, film lovers have the opportunity to watch a romantic drama “Memoir of Pain” a French-Belgian coproduction directed by Emmnauel Finkiel, a political thriller “Power Games” by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, the comedy “Woman at war” by Benedikt Erlingsson, Bálint Kenyeres’ film “Yesterday”, “Son of Sophia” by Elina Psykou, “Julia” by Elena Martín and the classic “My Left foot” a 1989 production by Irish director Jim Sheridan. This year the European Film Festival has also been venued in Bucharest, Râmnicu Vâlcea (south), Târgu Mureș (center) and in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova.

Medal — The German minority in Romania represents a bridge between Romania and countries such as Germany and Austria, the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis stated on Saturday, at a ceremony during which he was awarded the Medal of Honor by the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania, which is the highest distinction of this body. Klaus Iohannis added that the Forum members, the members of the German community have always got actively involved for ensuring good understanding within the communities in Romania. The award ceremony was held in Sibiu, where Klaus Iohannis was a mayor for almost 14 years. Klaus Iohannis was also a leader of the Democratic Forum of Germans in Romania.

Weather — The World Meteorological Organization announced that 2019 is going to become one of the yeas with the highest temperatures ever reported, and the past 5 years were the hottest in the history of temperature measurements. Several European countries have been facing very high temperatures for this time of the year these days, caused by a wave of hot air from northern Africa. Fires have destroyed several houses and hundreds of hectares of land in southern France which is being faced with a record heat wave. Hundreds of vegetation fires have also been reported in Greece and the scorcher has made victims in Spain and Italy. In 3 quarters of Spain’s 50 provinces, fire alerts have been issued. Experts believe that such extreme weather phenomena will become frequent due to climate change. (translation by L. Simion)

29 June 2019
Rainy summer in Romania

Floods, heavy rainfalls,
hailstorms, gales and storms continue in Romania. Hydrological and weather forecasts,
yellow and orange warnings about unsettled weather and floods across the
country have been reported for weeks and don’t seem to end. Orange or yellow
warnings or even red warnings have been given for a lot of rivers almost
throughout the country, flash floods and increasing flows and levels risking to
occur. The level of the Danube is also on the rise, several warnings being
given for the next few days. There are also a number of problems related to
defense dams but officials give assurances that for now the situation is under
control. The authorities recommend to the population in the targeted areas not
to cross the rivers through the water and not to come close to their banks.
Moreover, people should clean the gutters next to their houses for facilitating
the draining of water and avoiding its accumulation in households. In the last
24 hours, unsettled weather with heavy rainfalls and gales has triggered small
problems in several counties; however, they have not seriously affected the respective
communities and no flash floods have jeopardized the citizens, as it happened
last week.

Fire fighters have evacuated the water from over 200 houses, cellars
and yards. Moreover, because of the gales, some roofs have collapsed and
several trees have fallen on the pavement. Fortunately, no casualties have been
reported. The teams of the Inspectorates for Emergency Situations have not
carried out intervention missions; they have only assessed the damage caused by
the recent floods. Depending on the field situation, rescue teams are ready to
take immediate action with big capacity motor pumps in order to evacuate water
from the houses and save the people caught in the flash floods by rescue boats.
Power cuts have been reported in the central Harghita county and the
north-eastern Iasi County. In the last few days, heavy rainfalls have been
reported almost all over Romania and the level of rivers and brooks has gone
up. Bridges, houses, outhouses, gardens and cellars have been flooded. Hundreds
of people have been evacuated by fire fighters. Crops have been affected and in
most cases, farmers don’t have an insurance policy for that kind of damage.
Hundreds of animals have been washed away. Road traffic has been disrupted,
county, national and European roads being blocked by flash floods. The
situation doesn’t seem to go back to normal in the coming period,
meteorologists announcing heavy rainfalls, gales and hailstorms.

(Translated by A.M. Palcu)

11 June 2019
Effects of heavy rainfalls

Summer has officially begun, but Romania is still in the grips of floods, heavy rainfalls, hailstorms, gale and strong winds. For several weeks now meteorologists have been issuing code yellow and orange alerts for unsettled weather and floods valid for the entire country. Hydrologists have repeatedly drawn attention to the risk of flooding, as many rivers across Romania have been under code orange and yellow alerts and some even under code red alerts. The abundant rainfalls have caused high floods and rivers have overtopped their banks.

Heavy rain was also reported on Monday night when bridges, homes, enclosures, gardens and cellars were inundated with flood water. Hundreds of people have been evacuated by firefighters. The employees of the Emergency Service and Romanian Waters Authority have intervened on some river dams and controlled the discharge of water from reservoirs, thus avoiding the flooding of several communes. The only areas that were not affected by bad weather on Monday were the Black Sea Coast and 3 counties in the west of Romania. In the rest of the regions, traffic was disrupted on county, national and European roads, which were blocked by the high floods. The hailstorms and flooding reported in the past days have damaged crops. It has been revealed that most farmers do not have crop insurance. Many domestic animals have drowned and lots of localities were left without electricity, with utility poles being downed by waters.

On Monday, the environment and water ministers, Gratiela Gavrilescu and Ioan Denes, went to Prahova county, in southern Romania, which was badly affected by the extreme weather phenomena. They announced that river regulation and bank consolidation works would be undertaken to avoid future catastrophes. Minister Denes talked with the PM Viorica Dancila who promised to allot money from the government’s emergency fund to start the respective works, after 4 children were killed by the high floods several days ago. However, the Arad county council representatives (western Romania) have reminded the Government that it has not yet allotted the money ‘promised’ last year after the floods that affected their county. In another development, several psychologists went to the villages in central Romania that were affected by floods to provide psychological support to the people. The Red Cross has also given a hand, attending to the locals’ needs. The bad weather is not over yet, as a warning for unsettled weather and heavy rainfalls is still in place for the entire country.

4 June 2019
June 2, 2019 UPDATE

Pope Francis visit — Pope Francis on Sunday ended his 3-day visit to Romania whose motto was “Let’s Walk Together”. The visit occurred 20 years after the one paid by Pope John Paul II, which was the first visit by a Pope to a country with a majority Orthodox population. On Sunday, in Blaj (central Romania) the pontiff met with the Rroma minority representatives in that city in Alba county. On behalf of the Church he asked forgiveness to the Rroma community for the difficult moments in the history of this ethnic community when Rroma people were ill-treated, segregated and discriminated. Previously, in this Episcopal city, a spiritual center of Greek Catholics in Transylvania, Pope Francis held an official Mass during which 7 martyr Greek Catholic bishops killed during the Communist regime were beatified. According to the Pope, they left to the Romanian people a ‘precious’ heritage which can be summed up in two words: freedom and mercifulness. Pope Franscis underlined that the martyrs proved faith and great love for their people in the face of the Communist persecution. 100 thousand people attended the ceremony, among whom the Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, the PM Viorica Dancila and the Crown Princess Margareta of Romania. On Saturday, the Pope visited Iasi, in northeastern Romania, which is home to a large community of Catholics. The pontiff visited the Cathedral ‘Holy Virgin Mary, Queen’, blessed 800 children, old and sick people and prayed for families and young people. Also on Saturday the pontiff held a Holy Mass at the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc in eastern Transylvania, a place inhabited by a majority ethnic Hungarian population, which venues annually the largest Catholic pilgrimage in Central and Eastern Europe. On Friday, in Bucharest, Pope Francis met with Romania’s high officials and said that despite many difficulties and shortcomings Romania managed to make progress in the democratic process it embarked on and he paid homage to the country’s sons and daughters, who, through their culture, values and work, enrich the countries where they emigrated. During his visit to Romania, Pope Francis was welcomed enthusiastically by hundreds of thousands of people.

Weather forecast — Romanian meteorologists on Sunday issued a Code Orange alert for torrential rain and storms valid until Monday afternoon for 11 counties in the south and center of Romania. The amount of water will exceed 40 l/sqm and 50-70 l/sqm in isolated areas. For the same period, meteorologists issued a Code Yellow alert for unsettled weather and heavy rainfalls for the south, east and centre of the country. Over 200 people were helped by the Interior Ministry employees this weekend. 35 people were rescued and more than 170 were evacuated from the flooded areas. According to a communiqué, 76 localities in 25 counties were affected by the extreme weather phenomena. In Prahova county, in the south, three children drowned in the high flood, while a 4th child is reported missing. The government announced urgent measures to support the people and communities affected by the floods.

Tennis — The defending champion in Roland Garros, 3rd seeded Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, will take on, on Monday, in the eighth finals, the Polish player Iga Swiatek (104 WTA). Halep in the only Romanian tennis player who continues in the singles. In the men’s doubles, Horia Tecau qualified to the quarterfinals together with his partner, the Dutch Jean Julien Rojer. (update by L. Simion)

2 June 2019
Romania is faced with bad weather

In recent days, Romania has been hit by storms, torrential rain, hail and even blizzards in the mountains. A yellow code alert was in place in more than half of the country, warning of highly unstable weather and snow in the mountainous areas. Hydrologists also issued an orange code alert for flash floods in the centre and west and an yellow code alert for flooding in the north-west and east. Moreover, the weather has been cold for this time of the year, with highs of only 16 degrees Celsius. The authorities have begun to assess the damage caused by bad weather, which unfortunately also led to the loss of human lives.

According to the latest toll of the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, hundreds of homes were flooded, several thousands hectares of farmland, orchards and vegetable gardens were destroyed by hail, local and country roads were flooded and electricity black-outs were reported in some places. A number of villages in Calarasi county, in the south, were most severely affected, with a red code alert being in place for a few hours for strong winds, torrential rain and hail. The locals say they have never seen anything like it. Last week, also in Calarasi, a tornado of medium-intensity, an extremely rare phenomenon in Romania, uprooted trees and tore the roofs of dozens of houses. A bus was overturned and thrown into a nearby field. 39 people were in mortal danger. Fortunately, no one died. 12 people were, however, injured.

The interior ministry says it has deployed 15,000 fire fighters and police forces and gendarmes to remove the effects of the latest episode of bad weather. A number of people have been evacuated from areas at imminent risk of flooding. The fire fighters have assisted the local population and the authorities to pump the water out of the flooded basements of public institutions and private homes and to remove the trees and electricity poles felled by the wind.

Weather forecasts bring some good news for the days to come. The weather begins to improve on Wednesday, including in terms of temperatures. In another development, the minister of agriculture and rural development Petre Daea has announced that an investment programme will be launched next year to expand the hail protection system in the south of the country.

8 May 2019
May 7, 2019 UPDATE

EXTREME WEATHER – 15,000 firefighters, police officers and
gendarmes are deployed nationwide to deal with the effects of the extreme
weather, the Interior Ministry reports. A code yellow alert against heavy rain
and extreme weather phenomena is in place until Wednesday morning. Hydrologists
have also issued a code orange alert against floods for the west and a code yellow
flood alert for the northwest and the east. Hundreds of households as well as
national and county roads were flooded. Several villages were cut off from the
power grid.

DEBATE – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday are attending a debate on the
future of Europe hosted by Sibiu. The debate comes ahead the EU Summit
scheduled for Thursday and Friday on the sidelines of the Romanian Presidency
of the Council of the European Union. European Council President Donald Tusk
has called on EU heads of state and government to adopt the Declaration of
Sibiu, whereby the EU will convey a message of unity and trust.

ELECTION CAMPAIGN – The campaign for the European Parliament
election continues in Romania. 13 political factions are enrolled in the race:
the Social-Democratic Party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians, the National Liberal Party, the Save
Romania Union-Plus alliance, the People’s Movement Party, the Pro Romania
Party, the National Union for the Progress of Romania, the National Unity Bloc,
the United Romania Party, the PRODEMO Party, the Romanian Socialist Party and
the Independent Social-Democratic Party. 3 independent members are also
enrolled in the race. Romania will have 33 seats in the European Parliament.
The 33rd mandate will be announced only after Great Britain
withdraws from the community bloc. 441 voting polls have been set up for
Romanians abroad, most of which in Italy, Spain and the Republic of Moldova. A
justice referendum will also be held on May 26.

POPE FRANCIS – Pope Francis on Tuesday continued his tour of the
Balkans by visiting North Macedonia. The Pope prayed at the monument devoted to
Mother Theresa, built over the ruins of the church where Mother Theresa was
baptized in 1910. Hundreds of thousands of people have enrolled online to take
part in the masses celebrated by the Pope in Romania. The list includes
Christians from Hungary, Serbia, Ukraine, Pakistan, Rwanda, South Africa,
Nigeria, Madagascar, Australia, Israel, Canada, Namibia and Reunion. Over May
31 – June 2 the Pope is paying an apostolic visit to Romania under the motto
Let’s go together. Pope Francis will visit Bucharest, Iasi, currently hosting
the biggest Roman-Catholic community in Romania, Blaj, where he will beatify
seven Greek-Catholic bishops who died in communist prisons, as well as the
Marian Shrine in Sumuleu Ciuc. We recall Pope John Paul II visited Romania in 1999,
the first visit ever paid to a country with an Orthodox majority population.

INVESTIGATION – Three teenagers are the main
suspects of the investigation into the ransacking of the Jewish Cemetery in
Husi. The young men admitted their accusations, claiming they were inspired by
martial arts films and wanted to practice karate. Aged 15 and 16, the three were
not detained, but risk prison time for aggravated criminal damage. The
President at the time condemned their actions, calling on the relevant authorities
to firmly sanction any anti-Semitic actions. The Government in turn reiterated
its commitment to combat anti-Semitism and any form of racism, intolerance and
xenophobia.

SENTENCE – The Bucharest Court of Appeal on
Tuesday sentenced the former head of the National Fiscal Administration, Sorin
Blejnar, to five years in prison for influence peddling. The decision is final.
In the court of first instance, Blejnar had received six years from the
Bucharest Tribunal. Court judges maintained the decision to seize some 3
million euros from Blejnar and impose a distraint on his assets pending the
recovery of the sum. Anticorruption prosecutors say Blejnar received the money
from a businessman as payment to help him win several contracts with the
National Fiscal Administration.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep,
world no. 3, has advanced to the round of 16 at the Mutua Madrid Open in Spain,
totaling some 7 million dollars in prize money. On Tuesday Halep eased past
Great Britain’s Johanna Konta, 7-5, 6-1. In the next round Halep will take on
Viktoria Kuzmova (46 WTA). Aged 27, Halep won the Madrid Open in 2016 and 2017.
Halep also qualified to the round of 16 in the women’s doubles together with
Irina Begu, where they will play Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova of
the Czech Republic on Wednesday. Also on Wednesday, another Romanian, Horia
Tecau together with Jean-Julien Rojer of the Netherlands will play Kyle Edmund
and Neal Skupski of Great Britain. Tecau and Rojer were winners in 2016 in
Madrid.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

7 May 2019
Severe weather phenomena

Romanians celebrated the International Labour Day right after the Orthodox Easter, so it was a good opportunity to turn the legal days off into a mini holiday. Many chose to spend it on the Romanian Black Sea Coast, where the summer season has officially started. Others preferred the Danube Delta or the beautiful region of Maramures, in the north. Employees of the Interior Ministry were mobilized in particular in the areas where events with a big turnout were organized. Fire-fighters and ambulance crews were on the alert, ready to intervene and prevent incidents, given the large number of open-air events.

The problem was, however, that weather decided to ruin some of the holiday plans, especially in the south of the country, where it got highly unsettled. The problems started on Tuesday evening, when a cold front from Bulgaria met with a warmer and wetter front in southern Romania. Therefore, eight counties and the capital Bucharest were affected by storms and torrential rain. More than one thousand firefighters helped the local population and authorities, evacuating the water accumulated in basements and removing the trees and utility poles felled down by the storm. In the county of Calarasi, in the south, an average-size tornado, a phenomenon which is extremely rare in Romania, uprooted trees and damaged dozens of houses.

A bus was turned upside down and then projected into a nearby field. 39 people were in great danger, but, fortunately, nobody died, although 12 were hurt. Marin Ciuraru, a 38 year old man, who witnessed the phenomenon, told what happened: “I saw a big hole, forming in the field, which was spinning. We were on the bus, the driver stopped and we were hit by stones, and pebbles and dust, some of which got through the windows. We were caught in the whirlwind, I saw everybody tumbling inside the bus and then I felt somebody falling over me and that was it.”

For Wednesday, May 1st, weather experts issued a code yellow warning for strong wind in 18 counties in the south and in Bucharest. Also, notifications were issued all across the country, warning of bad weather in most regions. Heavy rain and storms were reported over extended areas, as well as damaging wind and even hail. Another two warnings for flood were issued for 21 counties in the north and west. The local authorities have already started helping people, by providing them with the necessary materials to repair the roofs and the Government is to issue a decree under which aid will be provided to the families affected by extreme weather.

2 May 2019
January 26, 2019

FLU – The Romanian Health Ministry will decide next week whether or not to declare the outbreak of the flu virus a flu epidemic in Romania, after a growing number of flu virus infections and deaths in recent times. The authorities have announced that 39 people have succumbed to the flu this season. The line minister, Sorina Pintea, on Tuesday called on the National Public Health Institute to make public data related to the situation at national level and said the ministry will declare the outbreak of a flu epidemic if reported data confirm for a third week the epidemic scale of the flu. Doctors continue to recommend vaccination as well as going to a GP when noticing symptoms similar to flu infections. As regards the suspension of classes in schools and high-schools because of the rising number of flu cases, the health minister said each school can file a request to that end, if the rate of absenteeism exceeds 20%.

WEATHER –16 counties in Romania and the city of Bucharest have been affected by freezing rain and precipitations over the past 24 hours. In Bucharest, scores of trees have been broken or uprooted because of freezing rain and tens of cars have been affected, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations has announced. Electricity has been disputed because of unfavourable weather conditions, with 14,500 people being left without electricity in tens of towns and villages. Blizzard and freezing rain have prompted the authorities to request the activation of the cell with coordinating responsibilities in the domain of electricity distribution and supplying. Bad weather has also affected road traffic, several segments of highway and national roads having been closed because of icing and blizzard. Trains fail to arrive on time and many flights have delayed because of lengthy aircraft de-icing procedures on Henri Coanda Airport near Bucharest. Tens of people slipping on snow or ice have been taken to hospital for care, with injuries and bone fractures. Over 12,000 employees of the Romanian Interior Ministry, policemen, fire-fighters and gendarmes have been mobilised to intervene and support the population if need be. The sky is still overcast in Romania and precipitations are reported all across the country. The highs of the day range between minus 5 and plus 9 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was minus one degree C.

SPORT — The Romanian women’s handball champion, CSM București, is facing Gyor ETO team of Hungary, in the first group B match of the Champions’ League. The two teams are ranking first in the group, Gyor with 8 points and CSM with 6. Playing in the same group are also Vipers Kristiansand (Norway), Krim Ljubljana (Slovenia), Ferencvaros (Hungary) and Thuringer HC (Germany). In the last two seasons, CSM Bucureşti got the bronze medal of the competition, after it won the trophy in 2016. It is now playing for the fourth time in the Champions’ League. Also today, the EHF Cup holders, Romania’s vice-champions, SCM Craiova (in the south), are facing on home ground the Croatian team Podravka Vegeta Koprivnica, in Group D. Podravka ranks first with 6 points, followed by Super Amara Bera Bera (Spain) and SCM Craiova, with 2 points each. In Group A, SC Măgura of Cisnădie (in the centre) is meeting , away from home, the Norwegian team Storhamar Handball Elite. In the first three matches of the group, Magura sustained defeat. (Translated by D. Vijeu)

26 January 2019
July 30, 2018 UPDATE

WEATHER — The weather is unstable in Romania, particularly in the centre, east and north. The authorities have issued a code yellow alert against rainfalls, thunderstorms and gusty wind valid for those regions until Monday evening. Rain water might exceed 20 l/square meter and even 50-60 l/square meter locally. Hydrologists have issued code yellow and orange alerts for several rivers in the country, valid until Wednesday, at midnight. At least two people lost their lives because of heavy rains and flooding over the past few days, many households have been submerged and traffic has been disrupted on several national and county roads.

BREEZE 18 — Three ships belonging to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group are currently docked at the Constanta Military Port on the Black Sea Coast, until Tuesday. The participating ships include ROS Lt. Lupu Dinescu, TCG Anamur, and FGS Rhein. The ships have made stops in the ports of Burgas, Bulgaria and Odessa in Ukraine. They participated in the multinational exercise BREEZE 18, in Bulgaria’s territorial waters and in the Black Sea international waters, and took part in joint exercises at sea, with Ukrainian ships. Exercise BREEZE provided training to the participants in various fields of maritime warfare and enhanced interoperability among NATO Navies. On Sunday, the ships were open to visitors.

ACTIVITY REPORT — Minister for Romanians Worldwide Natalia-Elena Intotero on Monday presented the activity report for the first six months, outlining the main actions and projects carried out by the ministry she represents, as well as the ongoing projects addressing Romanians across the borders. Some 24 projects of organizations and associations of Romanians worldwide have been approved, with funding standing at over 1 million lei. The Ministry has also sent 3,200 Romanian-language books to the Republic of Moldova, and 1,000 scholarships have been awarded to Romanian children studying in Ukraine.

GREECE — 91 people died in the wildfire that devastated the eastern coast of Attica in Greece, the latest provisional death toll made public by the Greek authorities shows. Several children are among the victims, as well as four foreign nationals-two Poles, an Irish and a Belgian citizen. An investigation carried out by the Greek fire-fighters shows a local would be at fault for starting the first fire and the Greek authorities know who he is. PM Alexis Tzipras has said he assumes full political responsibility for the tragedy, whereas the Opposition has accused the Government of being incapable of protecting the citizens’ lives. We recall the two Romanian military aircraft, one used for extinguishing fire and the other one providing logistical support, which were sent to Greece by the Bucharest authorities shortly after the wildfire broke out, completed their mission on Saturday and returned to Romania.

UNEMPLOYMENT — The unemployment rate stood at 3.48% in late June, the lowest in the last 26 years for the second month in a row, according to data released by the National Employment Agency. The total number of unemployed people was 304 thousand, of whom 51 thousand receive unemployment benefits. Most of them are aged between 40 and 49, while the lowest number are young people aged 25-29. In terms of education, people with basic or no education hold the largest share of the total number of unemployed. The authorities say the rate goes down in the summer months, given that a large number of people get temporary employment as seasonal workers in constructions, farming or the services industry.

INTERNET — Over 500 towns and villages in Romania have been fitted with high-speed Internet connections under the RO-NET program in the last six months, Communications and Information Society Minister Bogdan Cojocaru has said. The Romanian official hopes that over 400 thousand households as well as public institutions in the area will have high-speed Internet access by the end of September. A new project devoted to expanding broadband connections to underdeveloped areas will also be implemented, Minister Cojocaru has announced. With a budget of 64 million euros, the project is aimed at equipping 170 thousand households with Internet access.

OLYMPIAD — Romania’s delegation has won five medals at the International Physics Olympiad this year, one gold, two silver and two bronze, the Education Ministry has announced. Students with the International Computer Science High School in Bucharest and the Mircea cel Batran National College in Constanta are the recipients of the awards. The 49th edition of the Olympiad was hosted by Lisbon, Portugal over July 21-29, bringing together 400 competitors from 90 countries. The first edition was held in 1967 in Poland, Romania being one of the five participating countries. Romania has hosted the Olympiad twice, in 1972 and 1983.

TENNIS — Romanian tennis player Simona Halep continues to be no.1 WTA, according to the world ranking made public on Monday. She is followed by Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki and the American Sloane Stephens. Halep is no.1 for the 39th week, thus equalling the performance of French Amelie Mauresmo. Other best ranking tennis players are Mihaela Buzărnescu (24), Sorana Cârstea (54), Irina Begu (56), Monica Niculescu (60) and Ana Bogdan (87).

(Translated by D. Vijeu & V. Palcu)

30 July 2018
July 29, 2018 UPDATE

ANTHEM DAY – National Anthem Day was celebrated in Romania on Sunday. On the occasion, president Klaus Iohannis conveyed a message, saying that this year, when Romanians celebrate 100 years since the formation of the Romanian unitary state, celebrating Anthem Day is another opportunity to reiterate this countrys commitment to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. National Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998 and is celebrated every year on July 29th. The current anthem is titled Awaken, thee, Romanian! and is based on a poem by Andrei Muresanu, published in 1848.

SIGHISOARA FESTIVAL – Sunday was the last day of the 25th Medieval Festival in Sighisoara, central Romania, the only medieval fortress in south-eastern Europe that is still inhabited. 270 artists from five countries participated in the festival with some 100 performances. This years theme was Medieval Legends. The organizers did their best to bring this years edition to the level deserved by the oldest medieval festival in Romania.

NATO – Three vessels with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group are stationed for four days in the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta, in south-eastern Romania. After stopovers in the ports of Burgas and Odessa, in Bulgaria and Ukraine respectively, the Romanian minesweeper Lt. Lupu Dinescu, the Turkish mine hunter TCG Anamur and the German auxiliary ship FGS Rhein are now docked in the Romanian port until July 31st. The vessels have participated in the multinational exercise BREEZE 18 in the territorial waters of Bulgaria and the Black Sea international waters, and also in joint drills with Ukrainian ships. On Sunday, the vessels were open to visitors. After the stop in the Constanta Port, the NATO ships will carry on their training and surveillance missions in the Black Sea.

ARMY – The Romanian Defense Ministry carries on the army equipping program, by allotting this year one third of the total budget earmarked for this field, the Defense Minister Mihai Fifor has announced. He has also stated that a mobile anti-vessel missile launching system will be purchased. “We want all our major equipping programs to be able to bring back to the industry a large amount of money”, Mihai Fifor has said. As regards the Piranha 5 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program, the minister has stated that the first 36 vehicles are to be received this year. Six of them will be assembled at the Romanian Defense Industries National Company.

GREECE – An investigation run by the Hellenic Fire Service has revealed that the first fire in Greece was started by a local, who wanted to burn some branches, and the authorities know the identity of that person. The New Democracy party, the main opposition party in Greece, has accused the Government of being incapable of protecting the Greek citizens lives and assets. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has stated he takes full political responsibility for the tragedy. The investigation into the causes of the disaster is still underway. The provisional death toll stands at 88. Romania helped the Greek authorities with one aircraft designed to extinguish fires and another one for logistical support. Their mission ended on Saturday, and the aircraft returned back home.

WEATHER – Extreme weather is affecting the entire world. Northern Germany is faced with severe drought, and farmers have lost hope that anything will save their crops. They have called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency, in order for them to get state aid. Sweden is in a similar situation, affected by drought and wildfires. Norway too has reported the most severe drought in the past decades. Across the ocean, in northern California, forest fires have destroyed hundreds of buildings and continue to be a threat to thousands more. Also, dozens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. In Japan, several people have been wounded and thousands have had to leave their homes, as Typhoon Jongdari hit the west of the country, less then a month after the region was devastated by flooding.

29 July 2018
July 29, 2018

ANTHEM DAY – According to the Romanian Defense Ministry, National Anthem Day is celebrated in garrisons across the country today. To honour the day, a religious mass and a musical show have been held in the National Flag Square in Bucharest. The Romanian head of state Klaus Iohannis has conveyed a message on the occasion, saying that this year, when Romanians celebrate 100 years since the formation of the Romanian unitary state, celebrating Anthem Day is another opportunity to reiterate this countrys commitment to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. National Anthem Day was proclaimed in 1998 and is celebrated every year on July 29th. The current anthem is called Awaken, thee, Romanian! and is based on a poem by Andrei Muresanu, published in 1848.

SIGHISOARA FESTIVAL – Today is the last day of the 25th Medieval Festival in Sighisoara, central Romania, the only medieval fortress in south-eastern Europe that is still inhabited. 270 artists from five countries have participated in the festival with various shows and events. This years theme has been Medieval Legends. Todays program includes conferences, recitals, a shadow play based on the legend of Tristan, knight fighting and fire juggling. The organizers have tried to bring this years edition to the level deserved by the oldest medieval festival in Romania.

NATO – Three vessels with the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group have docked for four days at the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta, in south-eastern Romania. After stopovers in the ports of Burgas and Odessa, in Bulgaria and Ukraine respectively, the Romanian minesweeper Lt. Lupu Dinescu, the Turkish mine hunter TCG Anamur and the German auxiliary ship FGS Rhein are now docked in the Romanian port until July 31st. The vessels have participated in the multinational exercise BREEZE 18 in the territorial waters of Bulgaria and the Black Sea international waters, and also in joint drills with Ukrainian ships. Today, the vessels are open to visitors. After the stop in the Constanta Port, the NATO ships will carry on their training and surveillance missions in the Black Sea.

ARMY – The Romanian Defense Ministry carries on the army equipping program, by allotting this year one third of the total budget earmarked for this field, the Defense Minister Mihai Fifor has announced. He has also stated that a mobile anti-vessel missile launching system will be purchased. “We want all our major equipping programs to be able to bring back to the industry a large amount of money”, Mihai Fifor has said. As regards the Piranha 5 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program, the minister has stated that the first 36 vehicles are to be received this year. Six of them will be assembled at the Romanian Defense Industries National Company.

GREECE – An investigation run by the Hellenic Fire Service has revealed that the first fire in Greece was started by a local, who wanted to burn some branches, and the authorities know the identity of that person. The New Democracy party, the main opposition party in Greece, has accused the Government of being incapable of protecting the Greek citizens lives and assets. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has stated he takes full political responsibility for the tragedy. The investigation into the causes of the disaster is still underway. The provisional death toll stands at 88. Romania helped the Greek authorities with one aircraft designed to extinguish fires and another one for logistical support. Their mission ended on Saturday, and the aircraft returned back home.

WEATHER – Extreme weather is affecting the entire world. Northern Germany is faced with severe drought, and farmers have lost hope that anything will save their crops. They have called on the federal government to declare a state of emergency, in order for them to get state aid. Sweden is in a similar situation, affected by drought and wildfires. Norway too has reported the most severe drought in the past decades. Across the ocean, in northern California, forest fires have destroyed hundreds of buildings and continue to be a threat to thousands more. Also, dozens of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. In Japan, several people have been wounded and thousands have had to leave their homes, as Typhoon Jongdari hit the west of the country, less then a month after the region was devastated by flooding.

29 July 2018
July 8, 2018 UPDATE

MEETING — Romania’s Prime Minister Viorica Dancila on Tuesday is to meet EU officials, including the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and vice-president Frans Timmermans, the European Commission reports. On Friday, Justice Minister Tudorel Toader announced he would meet EU Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova in Austria. The European Commission previously announced it was closely monitoring the developments in Romania regarding the justice system and would not hesitate to take action to ensure the modifications brought to the Criminal Code observe the legislation in the field. Backed by the ruling coalition, the modifications sparked criticism from President Iohannis, the right-wing opposition and civil society, who claim that the new provisions favor criminality and are aimed at benefiting certain people, including Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea.

IMPEACHMENT — The left-wing opposition in Romania made up of the Social-Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats on Monday will decide whether they will move to impeach President Klaus Iohannis. Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea, who is also the Chamber of Deputies speaker, accused the president of violating the Constitution, excessively delaying a decision to dismiss the head of the National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. On May 30, the Constitutional Court ruled the president must sack Kovesi, noticing a constitutional conflict between the head of state and the Government. Justice Minister Tudorel Toader had previously notified the Court after the President dismissed his request to remove Kovesi from office as ungrounded. The Court’s ruling has sparked fierce reactions from the opposition and magistrates, as well as anti-government protests.

EXTREME WEATHER — The National Weather Administration has issued a code orange alert against heavy rain for 18 counties in the south and southwest, in place until Tuesday evening, as well as a code yellow alert for the entire country, including the capital-city Bucharest. During the interval large quantities of rainfall are expected in local areas. Hydrologists have also issued a code yellow warning against floods, in place until Monday, for the rivers in 13 counties. Temperatures are also expected to drop sharply during the interval. The National Emergency Intervention Inspectorate has announced over 20,000 firefighters with over 7,000 technical equipment are ready to intervene in calamity-stricken areas. The heavy rainfall last week caused devastating floods killing five people, destroying hundreds of homes and flooding numerous national or county roads, also affecting large areas of farmland.

OLYMPIAD — Some 1,500 high school students from over a hundred countries on five continents are taking part in the International Mathematics Olympiad in Cluj-Napoca. The event lasts a week and is the oldest and most prestigious event of its kind. The first edition was held in 1959 in Romania. Romania and Bulgaria are the only countries that have taken part in every edition of the Olympiad. Attending the opening ceremony was President Klaus Iohannis, who expressed hope Romania would become an attraction for research in the field of mathematics.

LIST — The Sanitary and Food Safety Authority in Romania made public a list of frozen foodstuffs sold in neighboring Hungary, infected with Listeria, a foodborne disease-causing bacteria that can lead to blood poisoning or meningitis. Nine people died in Europe after having consumed these products, with dozens of other cases reported in Great Britain, Austria, Denmark, Finland and Sweden. The incubation period goes up to 70 days, with the risk of spreading still active. The European Food Safety Authority recommends the thermal processing of frozen ready-to-eat products.

AWARD — Radu Jude’s I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians won the Crystal Globe award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, as well as the Europa Cinemas Label award, set up in 2003 to help improve the distribution and promotion of European films. This is Radu Jude’s sixth feature film, and the first Romanian film to win the grand prize in this festival.

WIMBLEDON — The tennis pair made up of Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu and Marcin Matkowski of Poland qualified to the round of 16 of the mixed doubles at Wimbledon, after defeating Divij Sharan of India and Alicja Rosolska of Poland, 6-3, 7-5. The two will next play Henri Kontinen of Finland and Heather Watson of Great Britain. Buzarnescu has also advanced to the women’s doubles’ round of 16, alongside another Romanian, Irina Begu. She was unfortunately knocked out from the singles’ main draw, the same as world number 1 Simona Halep.

(Translated by V. Palcu)

8 July 2018